Discussing Design: The Art of Critique - ixdaNYC

By taking the time to examine critique and how it fits into the design process and both an activity and an aspect of any communication we can focus our conversations and improve our ability to collaborate. In this presentation we'll examine the language, rules and strategies for improving the conversations with teammates and provide attendees with takeaways that can immediately be put to work to create a useful, collaborative environment for discussing designs.

Transcript of "Discussing Design: The Art of Critique - ixdaNYC"

3.
It’s laid out too much like [popular service]. We
should be diﬀerent.
The new Spotify design is perhaps even worse than the
old Spotify design. The visual hierarchy and underlying
IA are terrible.
No. That won’t work. What
if we do it this way... It needs more ﬂululululuh!!
The wireframes are still not answering our
problem and are not providing enough an
easier solution for the page.
Change the order of the screens so
that the 3rd and ﬁrst one are switched.
It doesn't have enough spunk.
What kind of company shuts down a
much-loved service like Google Reader
but keeps the vegetative Google Plus?
We're disappointed in this solution. We're going to have our
own designers come up with one.
Looks ugly. Make it pretty.
What. The hell. Is this?
I would never use this. I don’t
like the layout.
We should make that a dropdown
instead of radio buttons.
None of this is what I asked for.
This is terrible. I have no idea
what the lines mean.
I like the paper form better.
I'm just not feeling it. I don't know what,
but it isn't right yet. Just needs to be
more innovative.
Make it look more
like SharePoint.
Here is a rewrite. My
intention is to sharpen the
language, make it more
precise.

4.
The new Spotify design is perhaps even worse than the
old Spotify design. The visual hierarchy and underlying
IA are terrible.
No. That won’t work. What
if we do it this way...
Change the order of the screens so
that the 3rd and ﬁrst one are switched.
What. The hell. Is this?
We should make that a dropdown
instead of radio buttons.
None of this is what I asked for.
Here is a rewrite. My
intention is to sharpen the
language, make it more
precise.

10.
Tips for giving critique
Use a ﬁlter.
Gather initial thoughts and reactions. Revisit them in the right context.

11.
Tips for giving critique
Use a ﬁlter.
Gather initial thoughts and reactions. Revisit them in the right context.
Don’t assume.
Find out the reason behind thinking, constraints or other variables.

12.
Tips for giving critique
Don’t invite yourself.
Get in touch and ask to chat about the design.
Use a ﬁlter.
Gather initial thoughts and reactions. Revisit them in the right context.
Don’t assume.
Find out the reason behind thinking, constraints or other variables.

13.
Tips for giving critique
Don’t invite yourself.
Get in touch and ask to chat about the design.
Use a ﬁlter.
Gather initial thoughts and reactions. Revisit them in the right context.
Don’t assume.
Find out the reason behind thinking, constraints or other variables.
Lead with questions.
Show an interest in their process.

14.
Tips for giving critique
Don’t invite yourself.
Get in touch and ask to chat about the design.
Use a ﬁlter.
Gather initial thoughts and reactions. Revisit them in the right context.
Don’t assume.
Find out the reason behind thinking, constraints or other variables.
Lead with questions.
Show an interest in their process.
Talk about strengths.
Critique isn’t just about the things that aren’t working.

15.
Receiving critique with the right intent takes
humility and a bit of restraint.

17.
Tips for receiving critique
Remember the purpose.
Critique is about understanding and improvement, not judgement.

18.
Tips for receiving critique
Remember the purpose.
Critique is about understanding and improvement, not judgement.
Listen and think before you talk back.
Do you understand what the critics are saying?

19.
Tips for receiving critique
Remember the purpose.
Critique is about understanding and improvement, not judgement.
Listen and think before you talk back.
Do you understand what the critics are saying?
Participate.
Analyze your proposed solution with everyone else.

20.
Tips for receiving critique
Remember the purpose.
Critique is about understanding and improvement, not judgement.
Listen and think before you talk back.
Do you understand what the critics are saying?
Participate.
Analyze your proposed solution with everyone else.
Set the right foundation.
Use knowledge and prior agreements to get everyone on the same page.

22.
A framework for critique
What problem was the designer trying to solve or what
goal were they trying to achieve?

23.
A framework for critique
What problem was the designer trying to solve or what
goal were they trying to achieve?
How did the designer try to solve that problem or achieve
that goal?

24.
A framework for critique
How eﬀective is what the designer did at solving the
problem or achieving the goal?
What problem was the designer trying to solve or what
goal were they trying to achieve?
How did the designer try to solve that problem or achieve
that goal?

25.
A framework for critique
How eﬀective is what the designer did at solving the
problem or achieving the goal?
What problem was the designer trying to solve or what
goal were they trying to achieve?
How did the designer try to solve that problem or achieve
that goal?
Why is or isn’t what the designer did eﬀective?

27.
More things to think about
Are there any problems the designer could or should
have solved, but didn’t?

28.
More things to think about
Are there any problems the designer could or should
have solved, but didn’t?
Do any new problems arise as a result of the choices
the designer made?

29.
More things to think about
Are there any problems the designer could or should
have solved, but didn’t?
Do any new problems arise as a result of the choices
the designer made?
These kinds of questions can be important to think about and
ask, but be prepared for them to be beyond the scope of the
designer’s work, and therefore not something to focus the
remainder your critique on.

42.
Set the right foundation for good critique
Scenarios
Short narratives that the describe the desired behaviors, thoughts,
reactions, emotions, etc. of the user. Describes what happens, but not how.

43.
Set the right foundation for good critique
Scenarios
Short narratives that the describe the desired behaviors, thoughts,
reactions, emotions, etc. of the user. Describes what happens, but not how.
Personas
User Archetypes that describe their average behaviors, goals, expectations,
knowledge, etc.

44.
Set the right foundation for good critique
Goals
Desired, measurable outcomes of the user interacting with the
product or service. Can be user oriented, business oriented or both.
Scenarios
Short narratives that the describe the desired behaviors, thoughts,
reactions, emotions, etc. of the user. Describes what happens, but not how.
Personas
User Archetypes that describe their average behaviors, goals, expectations,
knowledge, etc.

45.
Set the right foundation for good critique
Goals
Desired, measurable outcomes of the user interacting with the
product or service. Can be user oriented, business oriented or both.
Scenarios
Short narratives that the describe the desired behaviors, thoughts,
reactions, emotions, etc. of the user. Describes what happens, but not how.
Personas
User Archetypes that describe their average behaviors, goals, expectations,
knowledge, etc.
Principles
Desired qualities or characteristics of the solution. Describe what
happens, but not how.

47.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.

48.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...

49.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...
A brief summary of the problem statement and business goals.

50.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...
A brief summary of the problem statement and business goals.
The key users (personas) of the solution.

51.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...
A brief summary of the problem statement and business goals.
The key users (personas) of the solution.
The main scenarios in which the solution will be used.

52.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...
A brief summary of the problem statement and business goals.
The key users (personas) of the solution.
The main scenarios in which the solution will be used.
The design principles to be followed.

53.
The Mini-Brief
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...
A brief summary of the problem statement and business goals.
The key users (personas) of the solution.
The main scenarios in which the solution will be used.
The design principles to be followed.
Note: This isn’t necessarily the full documentation for these individual elements.

54.
The Mini-Brief
Review this at the start of a meeting or discussion.
Doing this helps to ground the conversation and ensure everyone is
working toward the same goals.
A Mini-Creative Brief is a short writeup of a project
About 1/2 - 1 page that recaps the foundation and context for why
something is being created.
It includes...
A brief summary of the problem statement and business goals.
The key users (personas) of the solution.
The main scenarios in which the solution will be used.
The design principles to be followed.
Note: This isn’t necessarily the full documentation for these individual elements.

67.
Dealing with diﬃcult people
Set expectations at the beginning.
Make sure everyone understands critique.

68.
Dealing with diﬃcult people
Set expectations at the beginning.
Ask quiet people for feedback directly.
Make sure everyone understands critique.

69.
Dealing with diﬃcult people
Set expectations at the beginning.
Ask quiet people for feedback directly.
Refer back to personas, goals and principles.
Make sure everyone understands critique.

70.
Dealing with diﬃcult people
Set expectations at the beginning.
Ask quiet people for feedback directly.
Use laddering (The 5 Whys).
Refer back to personas, goals and principles.
Make sure everyone understands critique.

71.
Dealing with diﬃcult people
Set expectations at the beginning.
Ask quiet people for feedback directly.
Use laddering (The 5 Whys).
Refer back to personas, goals and principles.
Critique with people individually.
Make sure everyone understands critique.

78.
Standalone critiques work well because they...
Provide an introduction to people unfamiliar with
critique.

79.
Standalone critiques work well because they...
Provide an introduction to people unfamiliar with
critique.
Provide a safe(r) place to practice giving and receiving
feedback.

80.
Standalone critiques work well because they...
Provide an introduction to people unfamiliar with
critique.
Provide a safe(r) place to practice giving and receiving
feedback.
Allow teams to focus feedback on speciﬁc goals, topics,
etc.

81.
Standalone critiques work well because they...
Provide an introduction to people unfamiliar with
critique.
Provide a safe(r) place to practice giving and receiving
feedback.
Allow teams to focus feedback on speciﬁc goals, topics,
etc.
Increase the sense of collaboration in team members.

82.
Two approaches: Impromptu and Scheduled
Standalone critiques work well because they...
Provide an introduction to people unfamiliar with
critique.
Provide a safe(r) place to practice giving and receiving
feedback.
Allow teams to focus feedback on speciﬁc goals, topics,
etc.
Increase the sense of collaboration in team members.

90.
Design Reviews are challenging because...
They’re used to get approval or some kind of blessing.

91.
Design Reviews are challenging because...
They’re used to get approval or some kind of blessing.
Their timing is driven by project timeline.

92.
Design Reviews are challenging because...
They’re used to get approval or some kind of blessing.
Their timing is driven by project timeline.
They often have too large of an audience and many
attendees have the wrong intent.

93.
Design Reviews are challenging because...
They’re used to get approval or some kind of blessing.
Their timing is driven by project timeline.
They often have too large of an audience and many
attendees have the wrong intent.
Their output, if not approval, is typically a list of speciﬁed
changes.

95.
Making the most of a Design Review
Take control as much as possible.

96.
Making the most of a Design Review
Take control as much as possible.
Recap the goals and principles of the design.

97.
Making the most of a Design Review
Take control as much as possible.
Use the same tools as you would for dealing with
diﬃcult people.
Recap the goals and principles of the design.

98.
Making the most of a Design Review
Take control as much as possible.
Use the same tools as you would for dealing with
diﬃcult people.
Don’t rely on them for critique. Be prepared to
schedule a more focused session.
Recap the goals and principles of the design.

114.
Critique allows participants to...
Analyze ideas against the personas, scenarios, goals and
principles that frame the project.
Collectively identify which ideas are most important in
creating an eﬀective design.

115.
Critique allows participants to...
Avoid group-think, design-by-committee and preferential
based decision making.
Analyze ideas against the personas, scenarios, goals and
principles that frame the project.
Collectively identify which ideas are most important in
creating an eﬀective design.

117.
To sum it all up
There are 2 sides to critique: giving & receiving.

118.
To sum it all up
There are 2 sides to critique: giving & receiving.
The right intent (on both sides) is to try to understand the
decisions made so far and their impact toward meeting
goals and objectives.

119.
To sum it all up
There are 2 sides to critique: giving & receiving.
Critique is a skill. It takes practice to improve.
The right intent (on both sides) is to try to understand the
decisions made so far and their impact toward meeting
goals and objectives.

120.
To sum it all up
There are 2 sides to critique: giving & receiving.
Critique is a skill. It takes practice to improve.
There are basic rules that should be followed to help
ensure good critique.
The right intent (on both sides) is to try to understand the
decisions made so far and their impact toward meeting
goals and objectives.

122.
To sum it all up (cont.)
Mutually understood and agreed upon goals are critical
both when asking for and giving critique.

123.
To sum it all up (cont.)
Mutually understood and agreed upon goals are critical
both when asking for and giving critique.
Critique can be done both internally and with clients. Use
up to 6 people for about 1 hour.

124.
To sum it all up (cont.)
Mutually understood and agreed upon goals are critical
both when asking for and giving critique.
Be prepared to deal with diﬃcult people. You will
encounter them.
Critique can be done both internally and with clients. Use
up to 6 people for about 1 hour.

125.
To sum it all up (cont.)
Mutually understood and agreed upon goals are critical
both when asking for and giving critique.
Be prepared to deal with diﬃcult people. You will
encounter them.
Critique can be incorporated into the design process
both as an activity and as part of other activities.
Critique can be done both internally and with clients. Use
up to 6 people for about 1 hour.